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Should a mech hangar bend or snap?
Yes. It should bend or snap to protect the frame and mech. Whether it bends or snaps depends on the force.
What a mech hanger won't do is fall in half by itself, which I think is what you're asking.
Are you sure the mech hasn't taken a hit on the train? I've only had two mech into spoke incidents both were my fault. Mech hanger is designed to deform to save the frame.
How did you break the first one?
How did you break the first one?
Just riding along.
OP all the answers are above. This is no ones fault (though youn can check the hanger for straightness but few do!).
Hangers are easy to break (too easy imo but what choice do we have) especially given the high force we can put through cranks esp at low speeds. It's not about racing/enduro or whatever.
Also: no need to rebuild wheel and twisted chain links can be straightened easily.
Mech hangers only fail a couple of ways. Either they get pushed into the spokes by being pressed up against something or they get sucked into the spokes by incorrect rear mech adjustment. Neither are the suppliers fault. Only the second could be if they fitted it.
You just have to suck it up.
Lol at some of the replies heheh!
Thanks all.. I'll just have to get it fixed.. Guess I was venting a bit as I was a bit annoyed to say the least!
Fine example of the Dunning Kruger effect.
It sucks when this sort of thing happens but as has been said it's not the bike shop's or mech hanger company's fault, it's just one of those things. If something stop the chain running freely then the mech hanger gets ripped forward and will usually snap the mech hanger before bouncing into the rear wheel and trashing your spokes/wheel for good measure.
I had it happen to me on an almost brand new bike, not 100% sure what caused it but had just ridden through a bit of gravel so suspect a bit got stuck in the chain or something - luckily for me the mech bounced off the spokes and I stopped before it did any real damage.
Buy 2 mech hangers this time?!
I've got a hangar full of hangers if you want won.
You are right in that things don't just break for no reason. Carzy-legs is right, these things tend to happen just setting off within a pedal stroke or two. It could be that the chain jumped along the block when you got it off the train, something want 100% adjusted right, or something got knocked on the train. I guess the chain was trying to change sprocket when seeing off, which often doesn't work very well.
The hanger did it's job, and I've just had then snap rather than bend. If they're strong enough to bend, then there is a danger the force will break your frame also.
My chum broke his Foil chainstay when a bit of gravel jammed the derailleur and it then did a loop the loop round his cassette. Luckily he found out who supplied the gravel and was able to pursue them for the damage...
Luckily he found out who supplied the gravel and was able to pursue them for the damage...
Really 😕
No not really. Gotcha 😀 He did break his Foil tho.
As everybody has already said this is the hanger doing it's job and breaking to be honest I would be worried if it bent instead as that would involve transferring load to the frame it is supposed to be protecting.
My Santa Cruz original hangers did seem a little too keen to sacrifice themselves to the greater good but the aftermarket replacements seem to have a better lifespan without yet allowing damage to the frame.